Connecting students

I use the net to connect my students to other students in different parts of the word, via Twitter or most recently; Skype in the classroom.I have already found new connections in the few months I have tried this. Our recent encounter is with students in Dhaka, Bangladesh. When you find new friends on the net it is a good idea to look up the location on a map. Or why not several to compare? Reading Technology For Teachers I came over this cool site: Maps Compare. Just type in the name of the city and get 4 different maps.  The maps are: Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Bing Maps, and Google Earth browser plug-in and they are all displayed on one page. Zoom in or zoom out on one of the maps and you’re doing the same on the other three.

Application for class:

1. Start off topics in class by using this application.
2. Have your students use this when presenting in class, most presentations will cover places the students have not visited, and even more fun if they have.
3. The day in pictures USA Today, divide class in groups of 3 and give them 1 picture each. Begin by presenting where the story takes place using Maps Compare. Then the talk about the news behind the picture, notes are not allowed!